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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25959400">Tyrant's Pet</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoneSardine/pseuds/LoneSardine'>LoneSardine</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Disgaea (Games), Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>It's Disgaea after all, M/M, Sardines (obviously), Two gay dads and their adopted puppy, this is pretty silly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 08:42:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,441</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25959400</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoneSardine/pseuds/LoneSardine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Valvatorez gets a new canine friend.</p><p>His existing canine friend is not pleased.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Barubatoze | Valvatorez/Fenrihhi | Fenrich</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tyrant's Pet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hades knows when this takes place, pre-game by a hundred years or so probably, or whom Val is fighting at the start. Maybe he filed a noise complaint against his neighbour and it got wildly out-of-hand, that seems like him.</p><p>If you want to see some cute Mystic Beast puppies as a reference for this fic, check out <a href="https://twitter.com/sat0_u0/status/1260483482050007040">this adorable fanart</a>.</p><p>Also there's a super small cameo from <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25169842">another Valfen fic of mine</a> in this, but you totally don't need to read that it's such a blink-and-you'll-miss-it one.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Unceremonious as the act always was, “Fly!” the tactical advantages of picking up and hurling one another around the battlefield could not be denied Valvatorez mused as he watched the thief he had just thrown land on her paw-like boots, ready to sprint forward and valiantly continue the assault on the enemy- Or the enemy’s treasure chests at least, as he watched her scamper and hop away giggling from the actual enemies up a nearby loot-laden tree.</p><p>Catching his breath before charging forward himself, “Hm?” the tips of his ears perked to a rustling in the undergrowth beside him. Sword swiftly brandished, “Show yourself!”</p><p>The bushes went silent.</p><p>They were too small to conceal even a demon of the slumber cat or sludge family. Grip adjusted to a stance ready for any potential surprise attack, “You have until the count of three!” he announced to give fair warning. “One, two,” Still it did not move, “three!” Metal easily cleaved through wood and leaves, taking off the face and most of the body of the bushes.</p><p>The remaining stumps and twigs surrounded a tiny body now whimpering and trembling in the forest dirt. Valvatorez crouched before it, “I apologise. In the midst of battle it appears I was too hasty in assuming you were a part of the hostile forces we’re fighting.” He reached out, gloved fingers picking a few twigs off the black, red and silver fur, a very small nub of a horn on its forehead marking the demon out as a mystic beast too tiny to have even reached the embarrassing ‘afro’ stage. “There now,” he said calmly to it, “presentable again.”</p><p>As the trembling finally subsided a pair of small, amber eyes opened in anxious wonder, almost awe perhaps. It reminded Valvatorez of-</p><p>The twang of a bow behind him made Valvatorez throw his body on instinct over the puppy, an arrow piercing and catching in his cape. Scooping the puppy up in his free hand, “Now, don’t struggle and hopefully we’ll both make it out of this in one piece,” he tucked its back legs and lower body inside the front of his shirt, feeling little paws scrabble slightly to hold on as he turned with vampiric speed, “Sardiiiines!” rushing at the enemy archer.</p><p>~DOOD~</p><p>“Now, let’s see...” Valvatorez walked the hallways to his room, the puppy able to be cradled to his chest in just one hand it was still so small. “A bath first? Or sleep? Oh, you simply must have some sardines! I insist upon it!” Its tiny horn butted against his chest in a reply he took as agreement. “A beast of fine taste! I’ll give you some of my emergency supply; Fenrich can restock it later.” He slipped a finger between its wiggling legs as he crossed through the threshold of his room, rubbing at its soft tummy. “Did you know a humanoid demon such as myself only needs 27 grams of sardines to obtain their daily dose of B<sub>12</sub>? Aren’t they truly a wonderful food?”</p><p>Carrying it in, he set the puppy down on the floor near his coffin so he could open the solitary safe in his room. Considering his rather large supply of ‘emergency’ sardines within, “Salted? Smoked? Do you have a preference for organic or non-organic?” then the tiny creature which had followed and sat at his feet, “What is your current dental situation? Let me see your teeth.” He crouched, baring his own fangs in the hope it would mimic.</p><p>The puppy rolled over, baring its stomach to him instead.</p><p>“While I appreciate the display of submission,” he said, unable to resist scritching the soft black fur there once again, “I’m more interested to know whether you’ll be capable of ingesting sardines with bones or not.” This time it gripped his hand with four paws, tiny teeth digging in through his glove but not even able to break the fabric. “Not bad, but a little soon for bones perhaps.”</p><p>He shook his hand loose, not minding it pouncing on his shoe instead as he took out and opened a tin of minced sardines. Once it was occupied digging in, after gathering the necessary materials from around his room Valvatorez could take a seat on his closed coffin, remove his gloves and begin.</p><p>Entranced as they both were, neither could have said how long it was until there was a knock on the open door, “My Lord?” one that made Valvatorez’s hand slip before he looked up at Fenrich standing there.</p><p>“Ah, Fenwich,” he greeted with a finger in his mouth.</p><p>The sight of Valvatorez with a finger in his mouth that had a small drop of blood running down from those pale lips, “You’re finally drinking blood again, Lord Val!” Fenrich applauded, tail all ready to wag.</p><p>“My own blood doesn’t count!” Valvatorez huffed, licking up the drop that had escaped from the hole punctured in his forefinger.</p><p>Hurrying across the room with a new and different urgency, “How did you sustain this injury, my Lord?” Fenrich was knelt at his side in an instant to assess the tiny pinprick cut.</p><p>“It’s not important, I was simply sewing,” he explained, picking up the sewing needle he’d dropped to the floor at the same time.</p><p>“Sewing?” Resting on one of Valvatorez’s knees, the obvious object of his exertion, was one of his black chokers affixed with a red button that was a shrunken imitation of the screwhead in Valvatorez’s chest.</p><p>“Yes. A gift, to mark our new comrade as one of the family!” Valvatorez declared, finishing the final over-stitches to hold his handiwork in place before snipping off the loose thread. Standing with a dramatic and subconscious flourish of his cape, he crossed to where the puppy was now busy licking itself all over after eating to wrap the choker around its neck like a collar. It required being wrapped around nearly twice at the mystic beast’s currently tiny size but buckled easily, Valvatorez holding his new pet up beside him to show off their devilishly matching accessories with a small grin.</p><p>“What is <em>that</em>,” Fenrich asked, “my Lord?” he added, trying to inject some semblance of respect into his disdainful voice.</p><p>“I believe they are a very young mystic beast. I found them out on the battlefield today.” He turned to it, the puppy wagging its stubby, silver tail as it stared back. “I decided they simply must be a part of our family here in Hades since they reminded me so much of y-”</p><p>“If you desire such a demon for our forces,” Fenrich interrupted, firm gaze staring down the tiny and innocently unaware puppy, “all you need do is petition the Dark Assembly to find one to your specification. There is no need for you to waste your time with strays decades from being of any use.”</p><p>“No!” Valvatorez held the puppy close to his chest. “I intend to raise this little one on a sole diet of sardines. After being reared in such a fashion, Wuffy will be the finest mystic beast the three worlds have ever seen, a veritable genius!”</p><p>“...’Wuffy’?”</p><p>“Ah. Yes.” Now Valvatorez finally hesitated for a moment, thinking how best to explain. “While eating earlier they were overcome by a sneeze at one point. It was very powerful, belying their natural aptitude for wind magic. Since they emitted a ‘wuff’ sound at the time, I thought a name the invoked that might encourage them to...” He gestured generically. “That is, if they train the skill...” he trailed off, putting his spare hand to his chin in contemplation. “Hm, it made sense at the time...”</p><p>“...I see.” Fenrich frowned at the puppy happily oblivious to the debate going on around it.</p><p>Valvatorez placed the puppy down on his floor, instructing it to, “Stay.” Fenrich frowned even deeper as the beast followed Valvatorez’s heels across the room, standing up with impatient impertinence against the chest of drawers he was searching through. He could even hear its little claws scratching bluntly on his master’s furniture, and no doubt his master’s pristine clothes would soon be covered in the sheddings of its red and black fur. “Ah, this will do nicely.” That he had been disobeyed seemed irrelevant to Valvatorez who crouched down, brushing aside the tiny, fluffy beginnings of silver, plume-like mane above its hackles to connect the end of a black leash to its collar. “Now, come,” he said not only to Fenrich but the puppy too, “I must see to the results of today’s battle.”</p><p>“As you wish, my Lord,” Fenrich said as evenly-temperedly as he could following in third place behind his master’s new pet.</p><p>~DOOD~</p><p>Valvatorez would walk the thing around Hades on its little leash. He’d let it bark at the prinnies and even gnaw on their spindly peg legs if they’d particularly misbehaved. It ate from his personal supply of sardines, and got to stay behind in his nice and safe room during battles. One small mercy was that Valvatorez put it outside his room when he and Fenrich were <em>being intimate</em>, even if it was let back in straight after. The beast even had its own little bed right beside Valvatorez’s coffin, far closer than Fenrich’s in the adjoining room when the two slept apart, and said bed was even made from one of the pillows that had previously been on Fenrich’s bed. And worst of all the usurper rubbed the whole thing in, happily bounding up to Fenrich whenever it saw him and then following his heels if Valvatorez’s weren’t around.</p><p>Fenrich reacted in his usual way, insults and gruffness, but the damn thing could apparently understand human speech even at its age and would become very forlorn, lying on the ground whining miserably until Valvatorez invariably found it and came to scold Fenrich for upsetting it.</p><p>He just couldn’t rid himself of the tiny nuisance.</p><p>Glancing at it laid out on its stomach on top of the cushion that comprised its bed – <em>His</em> cushion – as he tided Valvatorez’s room, Fenrich scoffed that even its posture was becoming spoilt the way all four legs were limply spread out and dangling in repose. One ear was occasionally twitching, and a couple of times it had made a very small huff of wind – Its combat capabilities were hardly improving, despite the ridiculous name Valvatorez insisted would help – but otherwise it was so utterly defenceless right now.</p><p>The four-poster bed remade, Fenrich came to stand over the sleeping puppy. It still hadn’t stirred, oblivious to him looming above, tail stiffly swishing and claw-like nails flexing.</p><p>If it were to just disappear, perhaps while Valvatorez was out in battle one day...</p><p>“They’re adorable, aren’t they?” Valvatorez’s softened voice interrupted, coming up to crouch beside the puppy with a proud smile. “Seeing them like this reminds me of you when you’re asleep.”</p><p>Fenrich huffed. “I do not sleep like that.”</p><p>“Sometimes you stretch out on your stomach. And you do seem to enjoy sleeping on top of all your cushions-”</p><p>Fenrich coughed, interrupting the rather personal matter. “My Lord, are you certain about allowing it to sleep in your room?”</p><p>Any implications in the question went straight past Valvatorez’s head, he instead assuming, “Oh, did you want Wuffy to sleep in your room?”</p><p>“No,” Fenrich answered a little too strongly, prompting a windy yawn as the puppy began to stretch and wake up.</p><p>“Wuffy,” Valvatorez was already crouched at its side, petting its little head, “I want you to come and watch the prinnies learn how to magichange for the day when you’re old enough to perform such duties yourself.”</p><p>“Forgive me if you are already aware of this, Lord Val, but monsters of this species magichange into fisticuffs equipment. Although you are by no means unskilled with such fighting styles, they are not your forte.”</p><p>“I am aware,” Valvatorez answered as he stood, tiny puppy cradled in his arms. “You, however, are excellent with such a fighting style, Fenrich; the magichange would be for you.”</p><p>Fenrich tried not to pull too affronted a face. “I... see. But my present equipment from Rosen Queen serves me more than adequately. There is no need for you to go to such lengths, my Lord.”</p><p>“I wish to,” was the simple answer to that. “This is part of why brought Wuffy back in the first place after all.”</p><p>Fenrich watched Valvatorez’s small back walking away from him, scritching the puppy’s tummy now it was fully awake and wriggling playfully, until he had left the room. Then Fenrich groaned, glaring down at the puppy bed right beside his master’s coffin before kicking it far across the room.</p><p>~DOOD~</p><p>Valvatorez’s attempts to train the beast were ridiculous.</p><p>Not Valvatorez himself, who was as earnestly thorough and dedicated as in all things, but the puppy was of no age to properly appreciate the instruction it was being given. What wind magic it could produce was still limited to involuntary sneezes that knocked over nearby objects (and prinnies, unfortunately and explosively). Its claws and teeth were still too tiny and blunt to deal any damage. And frankly its general work ethic was worse than the prinnies, a rather considerable feat.</p><p>As he’d expected all along, Fenrich watched the puppy simply take advantage of Valvatorez’s good nature to get spoilt with sardines and tummy rubs without ever doing one ounce of work.</p><p>He finally had the perfect excuse to snap when a ridiculous amount of noise broke loose down one of Hades’ corridors one afternoon, a wailing prinny running at top speed away from the tiny mystic beast chasing and barking at its peg leg heels, occasionally leaping to headbutt the prinny with its horn.</p><p>Fenrich stopped the both of them with a simple, “Enough!” roared in their direction, the prinny skidding to a halt and nearly tumbling into one of the open lava pits while the puppy’s blunt claws dug in to the stone floor. “What is the meaning of this behaviour in Lord Valvatorez’s domain?”</p><p>“I don’t know, dood!” the prinny said. “This thing just started chasing me for no reason!” It now began growling at the prinny, but stayed where it stood. “He lets it get away with way too much, dood.”</p><p>“For once I actually agree with one of you hopeless slackers,” Fenrich tutted, glaring down at the puppy. “As for you.” He reached down to it, only for it to leap and bite the cuff of his jacket. Fenrich grabbed at it with his other hand, grasping only air as it twisted and pulled back, snapping a button from his sleeve with it. “You little-!” The puppy turned and sped away. With a beast-like roar of his own, Fenrich pursued.</p><p>It was running back along the corridors that led to Valvatorez’s room, no doubt hoping to hide behind its vampire master and play innocent as always.</p><p>Taking impressively intelligent advantage of drift as it skidded across the stone floor, the puppy made it into Valvatorez’s bedroom a few metres ahead of Fenrich, heading for the chest of drawers. It had dropped the button, barking away like crazy instead, when he seized it up into the air with a growl, “I will not allow you to take advantage of Lord Val’s moronic generosity any longer!” fully intending to throw it out the room’s window-</p><p>Until he noticed the open safe atop the chest of drawers, Valvatorez’s emergency supply of sardines cleaned out of it. With a frown, Fenrich assessed the beast was intelligent but not quite <em>that </em>intelligent to remove all the sardines without mess or visible damage to the safe. But if not it then who could have-</p><p>That scent...</p><p>“Fenrich?”</p><p>He turned around, “Lord Val,” bowing slightly to his master stood in the room’s doorway with the prinny that had been chased earlier. The whole of Hades smelt of prinnies, even Valvatorez’s bedroom as they often were assigned the menial cleaning duties even Fenrich didn’t want to do for it, but for the scent to be this strong-</p><p>“D-Dood?!” the prinny exclaimed as Fenrich towered over it in an instant, spare hand shooting out to open the prinny’s box-like pouch and insert his hand. Mixed in with all the usual bombs and knives were-</p><p>“My sardines!” Valvatorez could be relied upon to even identify his by sight, rearing back slightly.</p><p>Fenrich’s clawed hand clamped down on the prinny’s head before it could even think of getting away, allowing Valvatorez to reclaim his sardines while Fenrich growled and the prinny sweated. “H-How did those get in there, dood? Are they a bonus because I worked so hard? B-But you can totally have them, Lord Valvatorez, dood! They’re not mine or-”</p><p>Fenrich picked up the prinny with his single-handed grip on its head, throwing it out the door and against the opposite wall with a loud explosion that left an unconscious, deflated and very charred prinny on the floor to deal with later.</p><p>The puppy had winced at the explosion, still dangling from Fenrich’s other hand, but he readjusted now, allowing it to sit more comfortably there. Though he frowned to say this, “You were attempting to protect Lord Val’s property, weren’t you?”</p><p>It yipped happily to finally be understood.</p><p>“It appears I misjudged your intentions,” was as much as Fenrich would admit. “But I’m still annoyed you ripped a button off my jacket.”</p><p>“Oh, I’ll sew it back on for you, Fenrich,” Valvatorez promised, if it was that big a deal, taking the puppy from Fenrich’s hand to cuddle and pet. “You see, Fenrich? The two of you truly are alike.”</p><p>“Alike?” Fenrich questioned, realising his Lord meant to the puppy in his arms.</p><p>“Of course.” Valvatorez turned at the sound of peg legs waddling up to see what the explosion was. “It’s obvious, is it not, Dood? The similarity between Fenrich and Wuffy?” he asked the prinny.</p><p>“Oh, totally, dood,” Dood answered, nodding along with Valvatorez.</p><p>“How?” Fenrich had to ask.</p><p>“Are you blind? You’re exactly the same colours, dood,” Dood said like it was too obvious, before turning back to the prinny carcass on the floor. “I’ll drag you to the Infirmary, dood, but you owe me one for this,” they said, grabbing one of the peg legs to drag away.</p><p>Fenrich looked at the red top half and black bottom half of the beast’s coat, the silver mane and tail together with its amber eyes, and then up to Valvatorez’s waiting red ones. “You adopted it because of its perceived resemblance to me, my Lord?”</p><p>“Absolutely.” Valvatorez held it up under its front legs, making it hang in a vaguely bipedal posture to mimic Fenrich’s own. “Although I have always been content as a solitary demon if necessary, I know that werewolves are social demons given their human and wolf ancestry. Due to your allegiance to me, Fenrich, I’ve kept you from being in a pack with others of your kind however. I thought that, perhaps, being a fellow canine even if not a werewolf, Wuffy might...” he trailed off, coughing discreetly against a fist. “Perhaps I misunderstood your needs as a werewolf, Fenrich, I apologise-”</p><p>“No, my Lord,” Fenrich interrupted, his hanging tail twitching awkwardly. “You are not incorrect in your understanding of werewolf psychology; I am humbled you have spent time considering such things for a mere servant of yours-”</p><p>“Oh pish-tosh, Fenrich – You’re my comrade, and I would have been a poor comrade in return <em>not</em> to!”</p><p>Though he had to smile at how Valvatorez huffed, “You are all the pack I have ever needed, Lord Val,” Fenrich continued honestly. “Although it is true both wolves and humans are given to forming large groups at times, more often both are at their most content and efficient in monogamous pairs. Your company is more than enough for me.”</p><p>“...Oh.” Valvatorez touched lightly at his face with a gloved hand. Then, once done trying to fight back his faint blush, in thought he asked, “What are we to do with Wuffy then? I did rather promise the tot a place here in Hades.”</p><p>Fenrich considered the small beast in Val’s spare hand that seemed aware it was being talked about. After it had looked between them both a few times, Fenrich held out his hand towards it. “If I may, my Lord.”</p><p>“Oh. Certainly,” Valvatorez handed the puppy over without hesitation, curious though to see what Fenrich was going to do.</p><p>Holding the small canine up so he could make eye contact with it, an act that caused its tail to wag, Fenrich then lifted it up to his face. Opening his mouth, he inserted its muzzle, clamping his teeth down firmly.</p><p>“Fenrich! What is the meaning of-?!”</p><p>Fenrich removed the puppy’s muzzle from his mouth, trying to look it in the eye again at close range only for it to turn its gaze aside this time. When held to his face it gently pushed its muzzle against his cheek, waiting for a moment before licking at his skin. He smiled, licking Wuffy back on the nose. Since you could practically see the question mark over Valvatorez’s head, “Such gestures, though strange to outside eyes, are how canines establish hierarchy, my Lord. I have no issue with them staying so long as they recognise my superior position in the pack.”</p><p>“Ah.” While that was all well and good, “What about myself?” he asked, also wondering why Fenrich wasn’t spitting out fur right now. “They already recognise me as a superior given they follow my orders, I assume?”</p><p>Although ‘follow his orders’ may be wishful interpretation on Valvatorez’s part, “Indeed. However, given how you have protected them from harm and been providing their food, it is far more likely they see you in a ‘mother’ role.”</p><p>“A... mother?”</p><p>“While in some canine species the father stays to assist in the rearing of pups, any single parent will invariably be a mother and thus-”</p><p>“No, Fenrich,” Valvatorez waved him off. “Such matters of gender are irrelevant to me. I merely...” He considered for a moment. “I always have been fascinated by parent-child relationships, having watched others but had none of my own that I can remember... Very well!” he declared, throwing out his cape. “I shall undertake the role of your mother with pride, Wuffy!” Taking the puppy back from Fenrich, and giving them a well-enjoyed scritch under the chin, “This is Fenrich – You are to do as he says from now on, Wuffy! He shall not lead you astray, just as he has never done for me!”</p><p>As Fenrich bowed and prepared to say-</p><p>“Fwen!” Wuffy emitted with a powerful gust of air, surprising them both.</p><p>Valvatorez broke into a grin first. “Their first word!”</p><p>“I believe it was a sneeze, Lord Val,” Fenrich disagreed.</p><p>“Piffle! Their sneezes are far more like a ‘wuff’ sound. They were attempting to say your name.”</p><p>“If you say, my Lord,” Fenrich supposed, watching the two cheerfully turn to each and nuzzle in joy.</p><p>~DOOD~</p><p>“You,” Fenrich spoke to the puppy currently getting themself into quite the pretzel trying to wash all over after eating. “Follow me.”</p><p>Rolling over, Wuffy bounced after Fenrich’s heels and then round to in front of his walking feet.</p><p>While careful not to accidentally kick them, “Walk there yourself. I have no intention of coddling you by carrying you everywhere as Lord Valvatorez does.”</p><p>Nonetheless, they persisted in running circles around Fenrich’s long strides as he took them down to one of the rarely used areas of Hades, an empty and run-down hall generally only used for prinny combat training.</p><p>Walking them out to its centre, “Stay,” Fenrich ordered, and was pleased to see Wuffy actually stay in place nowadays as he himself walked some distance away to stand and face them. “Your combat skills remain woeful,” he began, hands on his waistband and tsundere in tone. “You should be grateful I’m going to train you so one day you can be worthy to be my subordinate in service to our Lord.” Wuffy merely cocked their head, limits of comprehension long since passed. “We will begin with basic canine attack techniques – If you have even one hundredth of what it would take to fight alongside us you should be able to master these even at your age.” Dropping into his fighting stance, “Now, come!”</p><p>Sometime later, following the rather vague directions of a group of prinnies that definitely weren’t slacking off or anything, dood, Valvatorez descended the narrow stone steps to quite the sight.</p><p>Fenrich, in full Vanargandr form, was being plagued by a tiny red and black ‘flea’ leaping all over him attempting to bite through his thick fur, then dodging away like a hyperactive blur every time he tried to swipe or nip at them – At a very reduced speed and power compared to what Valvatorez knew him to be capable of – How neither of them tired of it after five minutes, let alone however long they must have been at it before he came down, Valvatorez truly admired as he watched.</p><p>Finally, when Wuffy landed a slightly more worthy bite attack to one of Fenrich’s hind legs, Valvatorez was amused to watch Fenrich roll over onto his back as if gravely wounded. The movement seemed to confound Wuffy who darted back, but luckily for them, “Aim for the stomach – It’s a weak spot!” Valvatorez shouted instructively.</p><p>While Fenrich was far too busy panicking about being seen in such an ungraceful and embarrassing position, with a little gust to help them jump Wuffy ascended into the air before coming down, tiny horn first, into his stomach.</p><p>Having been powerful enough to create some very small shockwaves around them as they fell, Fenrich’s flinch and grunt were involuntary in response to the attack. “Ah-ha! Success!” Valvatorez called, walking forward to greet the fighters.</p><p>He collected Wuffy into his arms as they bounded up to him, praising them with head rubs. Fenrich was stood before him in human form within a moment when he looked up, inspecting a small, pink mark on his bare stomach just above his navel. “Hm. They actually accomplished something.”</p><p>“But of course!” Valvatorez held Wuffy out to bask in the sight of the damage they had inflicted. “I knew they would be a fine beast one day, taking so much after you!”</p><p>Setting certain assertions in that aside, “Your eye for talent is one of your many formidable powers, my Lord.”</p><p>“So I take it you now agree Wuffy will be a fine addition to our forces one day, yes?”</p><p>“Perhaps, with much training,” he would admit for now. “But, my Lord, don’t you think... Well, their name will do little to inspire fear into the hearts of our enemies. Perhaps a name more like Súlfr or Vitnir-”</p><p>“Balderdash! They have already held this name for weeks and learnt to respond to it,” Valvatorez said. “Any demon who would underestimate another on the basis of their name is one who is weak to begin with.”</p><p>“I will remember your wise words, Lord Val,” Fenrich nodded, hand on his chest. “Only-”</p><p>“We’re not renaming the dog, Fenrich,” Valvatorez pre-empted, and he could tell from the way one of Fenrich’s fangs became visible with the twitch of his mouth he had predicted correctly.</p><p>“But-”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>Fenrich shut his mouth, frowning down at the puppy being coddled again in Valvatorez’s arms. They stared ingenuously back, smiling even as he continued paying attention to them. Perhaps some battles couldn’t be won.</p><p>~DOOD~</p><p>“Fenrich!” The call, not angry but serious nonetheless, echoed down the corridor of the joint master bedrooms. “Fenrich!” Valvatorez declared less loudly as he walked through the open door of Fenrich’s room, brandishing their puppy. “Why does Wuffy’s breath smell of garlic? Have you been feeding them those fancy garlic crackers you like to have with cheese?”</p><p>Turning from the pile of books open on his desk, Fenrich found amusement in what a little huff Valvatorez was in over this. “Yes I have, my Lord.”</p><p>“Well, it must cease! Wuffy will only grow into the finest mystic beast possible on the finest food, namely sardines! 100g of sardines contains approximately 21g of protein which is essential for-!”</p><p>“With all due respects, Lord Val,” Fenrich cut in, trying not to appear as amused as he still was, “young demons are often temperamental in nature, and to feed one too much of a single item risks them being turned off it entirely.” Valvatorez pouted, but fell silent at least. “At such a young age they won’t be able to grasp the necessary nutritional science that is one of your formidable powers. I only did it to ensure they will be willing to continue eating sardines for a long time to come.”</p><p>“Hmph,” Valvatorez let out, but looking down at Wuffy tucked in his folded arms he softened again. “Perhaps a more varied diet would be psychologically beneficial,” he was willing to concede.</p><p>“I’m glad you understand, my Lord.” He was going to ask why Valvatorez had been in close enough contact to smell Wuffy’s breath in the first place but-</p><p>“This is certainly unusual, Fenrich,” Valvatorez observed instead, walking over to study the great number of books on a desk normally only reserved for chore lists and cam-pain maps. “What have you taken such an interest in to be researching with this many volumes?”</p><p>“Ah, I’m glad you ask, Lord Val; I had a number of questions to put to you, actually.”</p><p>“Ask away! I shall answer all I can,” Valvatorez promised, stood by scritching Wuffy’s back as the puppy wriggled happily in his arms.</p><p>“How do you fare with water? Can you swim?”</p><p>“I enjoy it – I’m quite the cryophile, I suppose one could say – I don’t know if I am able to swim however as I’ve always simply flown over any water to be crossed.”</p><p>“Interesting, thank you. That answers...” Fenrich trailed off, making notes on a sheet he pulled over. Valvatorez tried to peer over but the canine handwriting was too hard to decipher at such a distance. “How do you feel about eating insects?”</p><p>“I would prefer eating sardines, or human blood were I able to, but I suppose if it were necessary- What is all this about, Fenrich?”</p><p>So eagerly his tail was actually wagging slightly, “I have procured every book I could find on both bats and dragons, Lord Val,” Fenrich turned to him to present. “Just as you paid such thought to my canine nature, as your loyal servant I must ensure none of your biological and/or psychological needs are being neglected!”</p><p>Valvatorez scratched at one cheek with a gloved finger, deferring, “I only said that my natural form resembled a combination of those two species. I don’t know that I am biologically related to either.”</p><p>Completely undeterred, “Alongside the obvious Desmodontinae subfamily of vampire bats, I have already identified four fish-eating species of bat I am investigating: Myotis vivesi, Myotis capaccinii also known as the Long-fingered bat,” Valvatorez inspected his fingers, raising an eyebrow, “Noctilio leporinus also known as the Greater bulldog bat and Myotis pilosus also known as Rickett’s big-footed bat,” Valvatorez looked down past his hand, tilting up one of his perfectly average-sized shoes. “As for dragons I feel the Philippine Laho dragon of Earth may be a close relative given its connection to blood moons-”</p><p>“Fenrich, I don’t know what I am,” Valvatorez broke in. “And to my knowledge I have no relatives-”</p><p>“But, Lord Val-”</p><p>“My comrades are all the family I require, Fenrich,” he said softly but strongly, the end of a matter. He did lay a hand on Fenrich’s shoulder though. “I do appreciate the research effort however; strength begins with knowledge of one’s self, after all.”</p><p>Fenrich nodded, putting an arm in front him to bow. “All is for-”</p><p>“Wuff!”</p><p>Both looked to their puppy cuddled in Valvatorez’s arms which had just sneezed? Spoken? Either way, holding them up with joy, “Quite right, all is for Wuffy! That is how I should be as a mother, is it not?” he settled them back into his arms, walking off back to the endless duties of a prinny instructor. “Except for all the sardines, some of those are for the prinnies and myself. Aren’t they? Aren’t they?” His cooing faded away down the corridor, accompanied with happy little yips.</p><p>Fenrich stared into the empty doorway for a moment, “One day I shall understand what strange and formidable manner of creature you are, my Lord,” before shaking his head and returning to his books.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sources, because Val would insist that I use proper citations:</p><ul>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myotis_vivesi">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myotis_vivesi</a></li> 
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickett%27s_big-footed_bat">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickett%27s_big-footed_bat</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-fingered_bat">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-fingered_bat</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_bulldog_bat">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_bulldog_bat</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.aswangproject.com/laho-moon-eater/">https://www.aswangproject.com/laho-moon-eater/</a></li>
</ul><p>I really want to know more about Val's biology/natural form...</p><p>If you enjoy my work then here's my <a href="https://milfeirn.carrd.co/">Carrd</a>.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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